George Washington / General Lafayette

General Lafayette

As the battles of the American Revolution were coming to a close, two war companions and close friends sat down together and discussed an old theme for them. It was the Marquis de Lafayette who spoke first.

Lafayette: Well, I never thought we would be so assured of victory.

Washington: In the beginning the prospects were truly grim. My soldiers had very little to offer but the sheer determination to free this country from British domination. As they grew in experience, so did I. I learned that battle experience does not come with the mother’s milk but is earned every day in the most dangerous and trying conditions.

Lafayette. Have you given any more thought to my plan to attempt an agriculture experiment without the use of slave labor?

                                                              

George Washington

Washington: I think about it every day. You suggested an experiment wherein the two of us would purchase land where my slaves would work as free tenants.

Lafayette: Your name and reputation would be sufficient to assure a positive environment. Your participation would show plantation owners of the South that it is possible to earn profits by hiring the very best workers, African or not to work the fields. The harder they worked, the more they would be paid. If it be a wild scheme, I had rather be mad in this way, than to be thought wise in the other task.

Washington: Few Americans hate slavery as do you. I remember your words very well: “I would never have drawn my sword in the cause of America if I could have been convinced that I would thereby be founding a land of slavery.” You, my friend, have been an inspiration to me. You have made the point that winning freedom for America is without sense if this freedom excludes the very poorest in America. The scheme, which you propose as a precedent, to encourage the emancipation of the black people of this Country from that state of Bondage in which, they are held, is a striking evidence of the benevolence of your heart.

Lafayette: You repeat many of my own words to me. Will you tell me what you have decided?

Washington: I have owned slaves since before my teenage years. At present we have more than three hundred. It is a way of life for us. America’s economy and that of Virginia depend on slave labor. Yes, you may point out that many Americans have abandoned slave ownership like Ben Franklin, but Franklin has always been a city dweller. It is easy to dismiss something you don’t need. John Adams has always been a supporter of anti-slavery legislation but Adams does not own a business involving thousands of acres of land that provide a living for many people. Do I want to see Mount Vernon crumble for lack of care? Do I want my grandchildren to lose the legacy of a prosperous home and livelihood? 

Lafayette: I do understand your dilemma. The purpose of my plan is to move away from the need for slaves, not eliminate the requirement for labor. We both agree that slavery is inhumane. It should be illegal as well but how can those laws pass your Congress when slaveholders would never agree? 

Washington: As commander of the army, my present responsibility is to proceed towards a resolution of our conflict with Great Britain. Should I make the slightest suggestion concerning a change to present conditions, I would instantly lose the support of my Southern officers and soldiers. This could compromise the outcome of the war.

Lafayette: Democracy is a burden. I come from a regime that is controlled by a monarch who decides and the rest of us comply. In many ways it is more efficient. Can you imagine how long it would have taken a government of conflicting ideas to decide to come to the aid of your new government? I daresay, you and your generals would have been long ago executed for treason by George III.

Washington. That is quite true.  But your monarch has not been able to solve the slave trade problems in the West Indies. I do know that slavery there is a severe problem that you would like to solve by paying the workers. Our merchant mariners bring me news of the unrest among the African slaves and the cruelty of their masters. Yes. Events move very quickly. No sooner do we learn of a problem than we see that it has overwhelmed us. I plan to retire from public service at the end of the war. Let us talk again of your plan.

In the month of June of 1785, Lafayette had made all the arrangements with his attorney to purchase a plantation in French Guiana. He made it clear that there was to be no slave labor. Lafayette informed Washington in February of the next year that he was prepared to proceed with his experiment. Washington replied with encouragement but did not offer to begin a partnership with Lafayette. Washington himself attempted to conduct a similar change at Mount Vernon during the last six years of his life. No positive results were achieved. Upon his death, Washington had ordered in his will that the 123 slaves belonging to him should be freed. The fate of those belonging to his wife Martha remained unchanged.